


Long for Your Scent

by ligur



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Fluff, Humor, M/M, Selectively Mute Link (Legend of Zelda)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-14
Updated: 2019-07-14
Packaged: 2020-06-28 07:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19807333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ligur/pseuds/ligur
Summary: Sidon likes the way Link smells.





	Long for Your Scent

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in a long time, so I'm sorry if this isn't good haha (not that I'm sure I was good back then either)  
> This was originally a funny lil idea I had that blew out into writing practice, I hope this doesn't come off as fetish-y  
> Unbeta'ed so any mistakes are my own!

Link smells soooooooooo good.

He smells nice _all the time_ and it fascinates and delights Prince Sidon all the same.

In the month that Link had been staying in Zora’s Domain, Sidon likes to think that they had gotten fairly well-acquainted with one another-- spending any of his time out of his “princely duties,” as Link likes to call them, together. He’d memorized Link’s smell and could recognize it anywhere. Link was probably the best smelling Hylian in all of Hyrule in Sidon’s opinion.

He’s heard the same from other Zora in hushed tones as the Hylian champion passes by, and if he’s being honest, it makes him feel a bit possessive. But he pushes that feeling aside because how could anyone NOT notice how good he smells when he’s always running around, helping the citizens of Zora’s Domain, no matter how trivial the problem? Link’s lovely scent is just one more reason for Sidon to think he’s the greatest, most wonderful person around.

Sidon can recall one particular afternoon they’d spent together when they both had free time. The waters of the East Lake Reservoir were warmed by the harsh midday sun, which now had begun to be eclipsed by the mountains in its descent. Link was floating on his back, while Sidon lazily swam in circles beneath him. Sidon could feel the water slowly cooling and thought it best that they return to the Domain soon. Swimming upwards to Link, Sidon gazed at his relaxed figure silhouetted by the golden light streaming through the water. Taking in such a beautiful sight while also basking in Link’s heavenly scent, Sidon felt as if he were being personally blessed by a Goddess.

By Zoran records, a year had passed since Link last visited, and Sidon was missing him the most now that the season they spent together had returned.

It’s been several months since the news of the defeat of Calamity Ganon reached the Domain. There were banquets for days, and tears of relief and joy. Sidon thinks that he must have been the most joyful of all, knowing that his treasured friend was just as strong and courageous as he had believed he would be-- _encouraged him to be._

He hadn’t thought about what Link’s life would be like after fulfilling his prophetic purpose, but for some reason, he thought that he would still visit the Domain often. Like he would be able to retain the freedom and wildness he had displayed when they first met.

In his quieter, lonelier moments, Sidon wonders why the Hylian champion crosses his mind so often these days. Does the season remind him so much of Link? The way the oppressive rainy clouds give way to the bright and warm sun the way they did when Link had calmed Vah Ruta? Link=the sun? Link=good smell?? It doesn’t make sense. Unlikely as they are to happen, Sidon daydreams about going on adventures more grandiose than wandering the outskirts of Zora territory with Link. He dreams of roaming the lands of Hyrule with him— enjoying the scenery, partaking in exotic foods, and quietly sharing stories over the campfire at night. 

Sidon is in the middle of one of those particular daydreams as he traipses around the perimeter of the open-air portion of the Domain’s main structure when a certain silhouette on the Great Zora Bridge catches his eye. His father had informed him of Hylian diplomats being invited to reside on Zora territory and had assigned him to welcome them and tend to their immediate needs. 

The approaching figure is a Hylian man, seemingly of higher pedigree— finely crafted clothing swaddling his lean body. Elegant white boots hugging all the way up to his thighs and elbow-length white gloves covering his arms. He’s also got a royal Hyrulean blue uniform and a stylishly positioned beret sitting atop his head. 

The closer he approaches the more Sidon can make out of his face-- his skin is tanned and his hair fair as Tabantha wheat. His face is… His face… _That’s_ \--

“LINK!”

Sidon sprints over as fast as his legs can take him before scooping Link up into his arms and twirling him in circles. Sidon nuzzles his face into Link’s hair, paying no mind to Link’s fancy hat, with Link’s laughter warming his heart, bright and clear as the jingling of a bell. Before he can stop himself, Sidon unconsciously inhales deeply and--

Drops Link back onto his feet. Link is still laughing when he notices the confused look on Sidon’s face.

_Is there something wrong?_ Link signs, catching his breath.

Sidon takes a moment to stare; it's definitely Link standing in front of him-- a small white scar on his left ear, a tiny beauty mark on the underside of his chin, eyes as blue as Lake Hylia, but he doesn’t smell like anything? Sidon gets on his knees to approach him again, cradling Link’s head against his chest as he leans down to smell the crown of his head once more. Link chuckles as Sidon snuffles into his hair a couple of times.

Sidon hasn’t been particularly close to any Hylians before or after spending time with Link, but he would say that Link just smells like any old Hylian now. He releases Link from his grasp.

“My dear friend, welcome back. Nothing is wrong, there is just something different about you that I can’t place,” he admits perplexedly.

Link lets out an amused huff with a reserved smile before signing,

_Yeah, ever since Zelda’s been back I’ve had to return to my old position of personal knight, meaning I’ve had to act the part, dress the part…_

Link lets his hands wave nonsensically to convey the endless list of things Queen Zelda ordered him to do.

Sidon chuckles but watches Link expectedly for more answers.

_I’ve had to smell like a queen’s personal knight would too,_ Link interjects.

“Well,” Sidon huffs. “I, for one, thought you smelled perfectly fine,” he argues in a little too loud of an annoyed tone.

He can hear stifled laughter behind him, and acutely remembers the fact that they are standing right in the middle of the most frequented area of the Domain. He had been trying to avoid the subject of him smelling the other whenever they were together, but now it’s all out in the open. Whatever. Sidon’s damaged dignity stays alive through the weak belief that Link only noticed him doing it now since he had been so obvious about it.

Deflated, Sidon stands back up to his full height.

“Would you mind terribly if we moved this conversation to a more… private location,” Sidon begs more than he inquires. He runs a hand down his tailfin, finding it more comfortable to look anywhere but, Link. In his periphery, he can see Link chuckle softly and nod.

\---

The walk back to Sidon’s personal quarters is long and drawn out as every Zora they pass is excited to greet, congratulate, and thank Link.

Sidon had almost all but forgotten about the issue at hand after having listened to several Zora share a heartwarming anecdote about Link before thanking him. Closing the double doors to Sidon’s quarters behind them, Sidon smile warmly at Link with nothing but pure admiration for his friend on his mind. Link clears his throat. 

“So, smell?” He murmurs, with a patient smile.

Sidon’s rosy expression immediately falls away to a grimace. Groaning, he covers his face and takes heavy strides to sit at a nearby table. When Sidon uncovers his face, Link is watching him expectantly from across the table.

“It’s just--” He starts, leaning over to lie his chest, head, and arms onto the table. If it were any other person than Link, Sidon wouldn’t even attempt to broach a subject regarding his own embarrassing behavior.

“When you were last in the Domain, you smelled so... nice. What happened to that? You barely smell like anything now,” Sidon says, with his best effort not to sound like a petulant child. Sidon turns to look at Link and sees that he’s in the middle of pulling his long gloves off. Link’s expression is soft and kind as he returns Sidon’s gaze, but as soon as he gets his gloves off he lets out an exasperated sigh.

_After I had defeated Ganon and freed Zelda, she had thanked me and asked if I really remembered her-- which I did, and we had a very heartfelt reunion. She’s like a sister to me, y’ know?_ Link signed. Sidon nodded, rapt.

_Well… Immediately after all that, she chewed me out for an hour about how bad I smelled, and how dirty I was._

Link sat up straight and poised himself elegantly.

_‘I know that you do not have to maintain the same level of cleanliness as a royal would, but for goodness sake, have you ever taken a bath since you woke up?’_

Link slouched down with a scowl.

_I didn’t exactly run into any soap merchants, and I tried to wash off any grime when I could find a safe spot by a river. Did I really need to smell that great when I would only spend a week in any given village at most?_

“If you weren’t doing anything special, then how did you manage to smell so nice to us Zora?” Sidon was empathetic to his story, but still curious as to why the Hyrulean Queen and the Zora would have such a difference in perception.

Link looked down at his lap, seemingly embarrassed.

_I can only guess why, but perhaps it's because my stay in the Domain was longer than any other place. I ate your food, swam in your waters, and spent time with you for an entire month. Don’t Zora smell things better underwater? Not to mention that Hylian skin and hair can get stained by smells pretty easily. And aren’t there Zoran delicacies involving fermented fish parts? Since I would be getting in the water so often, I never really would dry myself off properly--_

Sidon gently held up a hand to stop Link’s nervous rambling.

“Link… What are you getting at?”

Link heaved a heavy sigh before continuing.

_I think that it’s_ **_because_ ** _I smelled bad that you liked it…?_ Link signed carefully, before hastily signing--

_Not that it's bad that you do! Or that those smells are bad! Or that smells Hylians like are the only good ones! Or that the things you like are dirty, gross or bad-- oh goddesses, I mean! I think it’s fine as long as it makes you happy--!_

Link stops his rambling when he hears Sidon give a soft chuckle.

“That makes perfect sense, Link. I don’t think you’re wrong at all!” Sidon thinks this will make him laugh for a long time. It was so obvious, yet he couldn’t understand it until Link explained it to him.

Link cleared his throat to regain his posture.

_Sorry for putting my foot in my mouth, but how about I make it up to you?_ He signed with a sly grin.

“You needn’t make it up to me, but I can’t say that I’m not interested in what you have to offer,” Sidon muses.

_I’ll let you smell me all you like,_ Link signs with a cheeky smile.

Sidon barks out a laugh that takes him by surprise.

“Your clean Hylian body no longer tantalizes my Zoran senses-- as you have washed your dirt down the river, so have you cast our relationship with it,” Sidon cries, feigning the same kind of badly-acted sorrow he’s seen in too many dramatic romance performances.

They both explode into boisterous, tear-jerking laughter which grips them for a long time.

As Sidon catches his breath, Link signs through his snickering,

_That’ll be an easy fix since I’ll be staying in the Domain as a Hylian envoy for the Queen._

Sidon pauses, eyes widening in sheer excitement. Sidon’s happiness alone rivals all the joy throughout the Domain the day they received the news of the defeat of Calamity Ganon. Sidon gives Link the biggest smile and longest hug he’s ever given to anyone else.


End file.
